Locomotive



w. SPEICHER 2,942,558

June 28, 1960 LOCOMOTIVE Filed Jan. 6, 1958 F1" E 1Q a E hvanfor MW/am ue/cfier' 8 6 #19 florweg/ LOCOMOTIVE William. Speicher, North. East, P a., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York I Filed Jan. 6,1958, SenNo. 707,196 3'Claims. or. 105-172 My invention relates to a locomotive and, more particularly, to a standarized and simplified frame construction which can be utilized in the fabrication of locomotives ofvariable weights.

In the railroad industry, the frame support of rail vehicles requires a relatively rigid and strong construction. With cars such as gondolas, flat cars, box cars, etc., this construction has been relatively standardized and it has, therefore, become possible to produce large numbers of these vehicles on a multiple unit production basis with a consequent reduction in manufacturing cost. However, with respect to locomotive-manufacture, many different weights and many different lengths are required for general and specific applications such as switchers, road locomotives, freight locomotives, mine locomotives, etc, which serve widely divergent traction purposes.

Therefore, in the .past, it has been the practice to con struct the frame of a locomotive using a plurality of steel 1, H and channel beams secured by aplurality of fillet welds to a plurality of plates ofvarious thicknesses depending upon the planned weight of the locomotive. Quite often, a 70ton diesel-electric locomotive hassuitable electrical traction equipment and prime mover power so that it may be used economically for constructing an 85-ton or a 90-ton locomotive. Assuming a 70 ton locomotive bedpl a-te must be one-half inch thick to withstand repeated tension caused by buffing operation ofthe locomotive, it is common. to increase this thicknesszto four or even six inches in the 85-ton or-90-ton locomotivc.

Thus, the difierence of 15 or tonsadded weight of the frame is provided by increasing the thickness of. the

e'dplate solel-yfor the purpose of increasing the weight rather than for any requirements of strength. Similar particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of this specification, My invention, however, as to its organization, and method'o'f operation together with further objects and advantages thereof will best be understood by'referenee to the following desciip tion taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, inwhich: e

Fig. 1 illustrates a sectional endyiew ofa' locomotive showinga conventional frame construction;

Fig. 2 is a sectionalendview offa locomotivefframe embodyingmyinventiom' Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view o'f th'e;

tive frame according to 'my inventiomjand' Fig' 4 is a sectional end v'iew'of a modification of nty invention. V I Referring now to the drawing, inwhi ch like'numerak indicate similar parts, in'Fig l, I.'h'ave for comparison purposes shown a typical prior art locomotive body 10 enclosing a prime mover ll, botho'f which arejmounted on a. deck plate of the frame referred to hereinafter a bedplate 12. In such a construction, the bedplate 12 may be between /2 and 6 inches thick and has secured thereto a plurality of I-beams 13 and 14 and Lit-channels 15'. In order to increase the tensile strengthof the lower flange of the I-beams l3and 14, a plate 18 is securedto the l-beams 13 and .14. Also, the channels 15 maybe braced by several stiffening plates 19 and"20 'If used, the plates 19 and '20 are often positioned over a truck 21 to provide additional bearing support for the side bearings 22 Which are mounted on the channels 15'.

Also, in Fig. 1, I have shown a simplified truck 21 supported on axles 24 having wheels 25' drivably connected to a traction motor 26. It is obvious that provision of .a relatively rigid frame construction with? this arrangement'requires the use of a plurality 'offillet' w'elds 28 whichv may be continuous welds to provide'an integral construction. In the particular-construction shown, there will he at least ten Welds of this type. I have found that,

j with this construction, it is 'v'e.r'y' diflicult to assurefsufiifeient tightness of. the welds'ztl to prevent loss of-ballast or fuel it is desired tous'e the space between thelf-b'ean s l3 and 14' as a'ballastorfuel'tank.

In Fig. l, I also show a simplified. airduct motor 26. Usually the duct 29 is flexible tojprevent damage thereto by relative movement between theframe l2 and the truck'ZI.

modifications are commonly made intheother members a of the frame for the same purposel In the past, each time it was necessary to change theweightof' a locomotive, special weights of steel" parts were required. Often it has been necessary to order special steel beams and plates from short 'order' sources or brokers at a premium price instead of from the steel mills which will provide the material at a better price when given a: reasonably longer time for delivery;

Therefore, an object ofimy invention. is to provide a simple, reliable locomotive frame and method of making the same.

Another object is to provide. a simple locomotive: made a from standard plates which may have its weight varied easily after it isfabricated'thus making it possible to reduce the number of models carried in stock. Briefly, in accordance with. one aspect of my invention,

a locomotive frameis constructed by welding a heavy fiat The subject matter which I' regard as my invention is According to' my invention, asshown in Fig. 2 j' liave provided a framev 39 consisting of a 321's tired .to a curved bottonrplate 33 by two continuous fillet welds 34 and 35. If his desired to addweightfto. a

vehicle having this frameSO', a filler or. ballastmaterial 36 may be placed in the space defined bythe plates 32 and 33, with there beinglittle problem e" because ofthe'fact that thetwo continuous'weId 35 are located adjacent to the top of the confined space. Moreover, easy inspection. of the' outside 'weld'si'al-lows manufacture of a frame which is reasonably airtight.

l have found it is usually desirable withmyconstruc' tion to place some sortof' reinforcing structure directly over the central support of a truck 40 to distributeithe weight of the locomotive againstf a swivel. platesupport member 41 and prevent" excessive stresses. in the frame 30. One suitable method of reinforcingv is illustrated in Fig; 2. by the triangularly positioned steel supports 45.

Usually the steel supports 45 will be welded 't'othe bottom plate 33, and the bedplate 32 will. merely rest on the apex of the triangular support thus formed. ever, it may be desirable to cap the triangular support with. an additional steel plate 46 tojdi'stribut'ethestress in the bedplate 32. Obviously, many. trussing arrange ments can be used over the swivelplate 41 for conducting cooling air from the fiame tofthe traction V I have found it preferable to provide side bearings 50 secured below the plate 33 to engage the sides of the truck 40 and thus preventtilting of the frame over the truck 40, such as tends to occur due to the sideways tilting forces encountered during the negotiation of curves by the locomotive. In order to prevent excessive stresses in the plate 33 because of shock loading of the side bearings 50, I prefer to secure a vertical stiffener 51 over each side bearing.

Referring now to Fig. 3, Ihave shown a perspective exploded view of the frame .30., In this figure, I have illustrated a plurality of apertures 55 allowing the admission of ballast material to the space between the plates 32and 33. I have also shown a cooling air aperture 59 in the bedplate 32 suitablefor admission of air into the frame 30 to be conducted thereby to the traction motors of the locomotive for preventing excessive heating. Cooperating openings 60 are provided in the bottom plate 33 to conduct the cooling air to the traction motors. In applications of this frame 30 where no ballast is used, it will be entirely satisfactory to have only one aperture 59 to admit air .into the frame 30 and to have several openings 60 to conduct cooling air to the traction motors.

However, in a frame containing ballast material, I prefer to provide a duct 61 between the outlet openings 60 in the plate 33 and the air supply aperture 59. Only one of these ducts 61 is shown in Fig. 3 to illustrate a simple construction. I contemplate a tighter construction if the ducts 61 are welded in place within the cooperating duct openings 59 and 60 after securing the plate 33 to the plate 32. Usually, electric cables will pass through the ducts 61 or similar ducts through the frame 30.

In order to maintain ballast material or air in the frame 30, it is necessary to close the ends of the frame 30 with closure means such as the end plates 62 each of which has a coupler 63 thereon. The end plates 62 ,may be Welded to the plates 32 and 33 to provide a leakproof construction Usually I prefer to secure at least one reinforcing steel strutor plate 64 in back of each end plate 62. It should be noted that when the locomotive is used for bufiing, the location of the coupler 63 will cause the bedplate 32 to be stressed in tension with each contact. Usually the magnitude of this tensile stress will determine the necessary thickness of the bedplate 32.

Often it is desirable to have at least one set of recessed steps on a locomotive. In order to provide space for the recessing of the steps, it is necessary to cut out a portion of the frame as shown at 66 in the bedplate 32 at 67 in the plate 33. With such a recess, it is desirable to enclose the ballast space provided between the plates 32 and 33; This may be accomplished by securing the properly contoured plates 68 and 69 to .the plates 32 and 33 by welds along the mating edges. Thus, the entire 'frame 30 remains enclosed to maintain ballast material or cooling air.

Often. a sand box will be secured to the locomotive for providing a supply for sanding tracks to inhibit slipping or sliding of the wheels 25. With my invention, such a box may be built into the frame for a very small additional cost by simply extending the necessary plate 68 to butt against the necessary plate 64 with a tight connection and providing a hole 70 in the bedplate 32 to allow replenishing of the sand 71 and providing an aperture in the plate, 33 to allow distribution of the sand to the wheels thereby eliminating the need for any external sand box. Also in. Fig. 3, I have shown a modified swivel plate support arrangement suitable for use with my invention. In this embodiment, two similar lateralbeams 80,and 81 are secured to the lower plate ,rnernber33 by welding. Directly over the center plate, I have secured the cross brace plates 82. Also, over the side bearings 50 ,(Fig. 2), I have positioned a stiffener 83. Because of increased stresses resultingfrom a rigid structure, I prefer not to fasten this reinforcing arrangement -83 to the bedplate 32.

In Fig. 4, I have shown a modification of the air duct arrangement of my invention. In this modification, the aperture 59 for admitting air into the frame is centrally disposed over a duct which is defined by the inner surface of the bedplate 32 and a relatively light weight U-shaped steel member 86 which is fastened thereto in a manner to prevent any ballast 36 from entering the duct 85. The duct 85. is provided with a plurality of downward extending ducts 87 for conducting air down to the openings 60 in the bottom plate 33.

Also in Fig. 4, I have shown the cross section of the frame 30 as a trapezoid with the plate 33 bent relatively sharply at the points 89. Because of manufacturing tolerances, I contemplate using this construction in preference to that shown in Figs. 2 and 3. By curved as used hereinafter and in the claims, I intend to include such a trapezoidal shape. It should be noted that additional vertical bending movement may be provided by simply increasing the distance between the bedplate 31". and the lower parallel portion of the plate 33. However, this distance is usually limited to about 14 inches because of overhead clearances of the railroads, the size of the wheels and the necessary size of the cab.

According to my invention, it is now possible to build locomotives in standardized runs considerably larger than needed to fill an individual order. For instance, upon receiving an order for three 65-ton locomotives, it is quite feasible to build 15 of these locomotives, because by simply omitting all of the duct members 61, 86 or 87 from three of the locomotives the three 65-ton locomotives are fabricated. The rest of the run or batch (l2 locomotives) will have enough of these ducts in place so that they may be sold as 65-ton locomotives, 70-ton locomotives, 75-ton or 80-ton locomotives merely by adding sufficient ballast 36.

In order to allow full control of tonnage of ballast, the ballast admission apertures 55 in the bedplate 32 are positioned over each major section of the frame 30. Thus, concrete containing a varying weight filler may be poured into the frame to substantially fill any section. The number of apertures 55 is not critical because of the well known fact that by simply vibrating the wet concrete container (frame 30), it is possible to distribute the concrete evenly throughout the box prior to its setting. Thus, by the simple expedient of leveling the frame 39 prior to admitting concrete .thereto and mounting a vibrator, I am able to obtain a uniformly distributed ballast. Another method of uniformly distributing concrete within the frame is disclosed and claimed in the co-pending application of Conway H. Melcher, Serial No. 820,275,

filed June 15, 1959, and assigned to the same assignec as the present application.

When it is desired to add five tons of ballast, usually it would not be necessary to place ballast in the entire frame. With the lateral reinforcing of the swivel plates shown in Fig. 3 at 80-83, two or three tons of ballast may be added at each end of the frame 30. On the other hand, ten tons of ballast may be added to the center section between the cross bracing plates 81. By substantially filling the various'sections as necessary, the likelihood of any solid ballast chips shifting during scvcrc operating conditions is practically eliminated.

Also, it is feasible to vary the specific gravity of the concrete by using very light fly ash for light ballast, gravel for medium weight ballast, iron ore for heavy weight ballast, and iron punchings or scrap for very heavy weight ballast (230-275 pounds per cubic foot). By this simple means, it becomes feasible to fill completely all sections of the frame 30 with a varying amount of ballast 36. It is interesting to note that steel plate installed is approximately four to six times as expensive per pound as concrete ballast, Thus, a ballast of 20 tons will be amass more than a thousand dollars cheaper with my constmction.

Moreover, it is now feasible to vary the weight distribution of the locomotive. Thus, to eliminate sag, the ballast may be added to the end sections. On the other hand, where bufling forces are particularly severe, I may eliminate a portion of the tensile stress of the bedplate 32 by concentrating the ballast in the center section. Also, if it is desirable to rearrange the load on the top of the bedplate 32 by relocating some of the heavy equipment, the locomotive may be balanced by placing the ballast 36 in only one side or one end of the locomotive.

While I have shown and described particular embodi- -ments of my invention, other modifications thereof will occur to those skilled in the art. 'For instance, the frame could be made in several sections, i.e., end sections, bolster sections and center sections. With such a manufacturing procedure, when it is desired to adjust the length of the locomotive, variable length center sections or a plurality of center sections can be assembled with two or three bolster support and two end sections which may also be made in varying lengths. I intend, therefore, that the appended claims cover all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by'Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A locomotive frame comprising a flat metal plate adapted to support a locomotive body and prime mover equipment; a second metal plate having lateral extremities and a depressed central portion, a plurality of metal spacer plates having straight upper edges and lower edges shaped to the same cross section as the upper surface of the second metal plate, said metal spacer plates being disposed at predetermined points along the upper surface of the second metal plate to thereby partition the space between the flat metal plate and said second plate into compartments, ballast materials rigidly supported in position on the upper surface of the curved metal plate between predetermined pairs of the spacer plates, the composition of said ballast materials being different in each compartment to thereby provide means in addition to the ballast spacing compartments for balancing the weight distribution of the locomotive along the frame, the flat metal plate being welded to the lateral extremities of the second metal plate, and closure means secured over the openings at both ends of the frame formed by the flat metal plate and the second metal plate to provide a rigid frame construction.

2. A locomotive frame comprising a flat metal plate adapted to support a locomotive body and prime mover equipment, a second metal plate having lateral extremities and a depressed central portion, said second plate being welded to the flat metal plate at its lateral extremities to thereby provide a space between the bottom surface of the flat plate and the upper surface of the second plate, closure means secured over the openings at both ends of the metal plates to provide a rigid frame'construction, means defining an aperture in the flat metal plate for admitting ballast material into the space between the metal plates, a homogeneous mass of ballast material rigidly supported in position between the fiat plate and the second plate whereby the traction weight of the 1000- motive is determined by the amount of ballast material added to the frame, means defining ducts for containing electric cables disposed in the space defined by the flat metal plate and the second plate whereby the ballast material is prevented from contaminating the electric cables, and means defining apertures in the flat metal plate aligned with the ducts for admitting electric cables to said ducts.

3. A method of manufacturing a locomotive frame member comprising the steps of providing a top member of flat plate material of generally rectangular shape for supporting a locomotitve body and prime mover equipment and having at least one aperture therein, providing a bottom member having an upper surface of generally 'U-shaped cross section formed from plate material, placing spacer plates on said bottom member at predetermined positions longitudinally thereof, said spacer plates being arranged transversely substantially normal thereto to partition the U-shaped surface thereof into compartments, fastening said spacer plates to said bottom member at said predetermined positions, welding the lateral extremities of the bottom member to the lateral portions of the top member to enclose said compartments therebetween, each of said one or more apertures in the top member being in communication respectively with at least one of said compartments, introducing a predetermined amount of hardenable concrete ballast material in a flowable state into at least one selected compartment through the aperture communicating therewith and allowing the ballast material to harden into a rigid mass therein, whereby the tonnage rating and weight distribution of the frame member is determined by the amount of ballast material added to one or more compartments of said frame member.

Alben June 26, 1951 to said bottom member and 

